THE LION AND OTHER BEASTS OF PREY 
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occasions the leopard is first hoodwinked, as falcons are; and as soon 
as the huntsman is near enough to the game the cap is taken off, the 
leader strokes his hands several times over the eyes of the animal, and 
turns his head towards the antelope. Scarcely does the leopard per¬ 
ceive it when he immediately springs forward; but if he does not 
succeed in overtaking the antelope in two or three leaps, he desists and 
quietly lies down. His leader again takes him up in his cart and gives 
him some meat and water to strengthen him. The attempt is then 
renewed; but, if he fails a second time, he is quite discouraged, and is 
unfit for the chase for some days. The antelope possesses such elasticity 
that it makes leaps from thirty to forty paces, and therefore easily 
escapes from the leopard, and hence it is indispensable to get as near 
the game as possible. But if the leopard succeeds in catching the 
antelope, he leaps upon its back, and clings to it with his paws; it falls 
down; he thrusts his fangs in the neck of his hapless victim and sucks 
the blood, and then quietly follows his leader. 
The Hunting Leopard. —A rare species of leopard is the 
hunting leopard. The size of both sexes is about that of a greyhound, 
with a slender body and long legs. The belly and the insides of the 
legs are white, the rest pale-yellow, studded with small round black 
spots, larger on the back and outside of thighs. The hair of the upper 
part of the neck and withers is rather long, forming a small mane. 
There is a black stripe on the ears and another from the corners of the 
eyes to the angle of the mouth. The tail is ringed with black and 
white and tipped with white. It is only fair to state that this species is 
not at all common, and the sportsman who returns with a specimen is 
very lucky. 
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